Laughter
by Akozu Heiwa
Summary: He barely made it to the living room, when he sank to his knees with a painful sob. There was his best friend, his brother, lying motionless on the floor, eyes wide in an expression of grim determination, but dull and unseeing. Halloween 1981 from Sirius's POV


Not happening. This wasn't happening.

Sirius Black stumbled off his motorbike outside his best friend's now ruined home. Over the house, a sickening green skull floated in the night sky. The Dark Mark. Sirius gasped, and shook his head. No way. No way was this happening.

He's shaking now, stumbling through the gates and into the house. He barely made it to the living room, when he sank to his knees with a painful sob. There was his best friend, his brother, lying motionless on the floor, eyes wide in an expression of grim determination, but dull and unseeing.

Dead.

"Dang it, Prongs!" Sirius cried, shaking his friend desperately. "Dang it, wake up! Wake up!"

Dead. Gone. Prongs was gone. Sirius bent over, sobbing, before letting out a heartbreaking, wordless scream of distress.

"Prongs," he whispered, reaching up and closing his friend's eyes, letting out another choked sob. "Oh, God. This is all my fault. Dang it, Wormtail! How could you!?"

He froze, hearing a completely unexpected sound from upstairs. A baby's cry. A _baby..._ Harry!

Sirius stood shakily, and raced up the stairs, unable to look at his dead friend any longer. Harry, Harry had to be alive. Harry was only a baby, he had to be okay.

Sirius paused in the doorway, another choked sob escaping his lips. Lily was on the floor, eyes open wide much like James's had been. Dead. Gone. He closed her eyes as well, hugging her close for a moment.

Had he really been optimistic enough to think Harry could be alive?

But, then, the cry sounded again. Sirius slowly lifted his head, putting Lily's body down. He stared at the crib in surprise, in slight relief.

"Mummy! Dada!" Harry was screaming his parents' names, and dark blood was trickling from a lightning bolt shaped cut on his forehead. _But he was alive_. Harry was alive.

"Harry, Prongslet," Sirius murmured, crawling to the boy's crib. Harry calmed at Sirius's familiar face. "Oh, pup, oh, Harry… Mummy's not coming, pup, I'm sorry, Dada can't be here…"

"No… Mummy?" Harry asked sadly, with the strange curiosity only a baby can have. "No... Dada?"

"I'm so sorry, pup, I'm so sorry," Sirius whispered, picking Harry up and cradling him close to his chest. "I won't let anything hurt you, pup, I'm so sorry."

"Pa'foo sad?" Harry asked. Sirius nodded. "Pa'foo no be sad!"

"Don't worry, Harry," Sirius muttered. "Padfoot will cheer up. Padfoot's had something really sad happen to him, but it's going to be okay."

It wasn't going to be okay. Prongs and Lily were dead.

"Let's get you away from here," Sirius stood up, a bit wobbly at first, and numbly carried Harry out of the house, sparing James one last look. "I'm so sorry, Prongs."

Out in the street, Sirius recognized the large form of Hagrid, and vaguely wondered what he was doing at Godric's Hollow. He held Harry closer, and approached the half-giant, who was standing beside his motorcycle.

"Hagrid," he croaked. Hagrid was crying himself, and looked hopefully at Sirius. "They- they're gone… James and Lily… dead… Th-they're g-gone…"

"It's a'righ', Sirius," Hagrid said gruffly, patting Sirius on the back. "What'd yeh got there?"

"Harry," Sirius replied quietly. "Harry survived."

"Blimey," Hagrid's eyes widened. "I mean, Dumbledore told me, but I couldn't believe summat like that. Yer not kiddin', then?"

"Why would I kid, Hagrid," Sirius growled. "My best friend and his wife are dead! I am not going to _joke _at a time like this!"

"Right, sorry, Sirius," Hagrid replied awkwardly. "Can I- can I hold 'im?"

"Harry?" Sirius asked numbly, before passing the baby to Hagrid. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"Dumbledore wants me ter take 'im to 'is Aunt and Uncle," Hagrid replied. "Can I borrow yer motorcycle?"

"What!? No, Hagrid!" Sirius exclaimed. "Give him to me, I'm his godfather! I'll take care of him!"

"Nope, Dumbledore was insistent," Hagrid insisted. "Harry's goin' to 'is Aunt and Uncle."

"No, Hagrid, Dumbledore doesn't know the whole story!" Sirius insisted. "Let me take Harry, he'd be better off with me anyways, the Dursleys _hate_ magic!"

"Ah, they wouldn't hate their own flesh an' blood," Hagrid frowned. "Harry'll be fine, Sirius, yeh should go rest."

"Hagrid, you can't take Harry!" Sirius insisted. "Please, he'll be happier! I'm his godfather, Hagrid, please, just give Harry to me."

"Sorry," Hagrid responded, already climbing on the motorbike. "But Dumbledore's orders."

And then he took off, leaving Sirius in the dust, shouting his godson's name.

"I have nothing left," Sirius muttered, sitting down on the hard pavement. "Nothing. Voldemort took James and Lily, Dumbledore took Harry. I have nothing. Nothing!"

And suddenly, he started chuckling.

"Ah, ah, Peter," he cackled. "I'm coming to get you! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

And, suddenly, Peter came racing onto the scene, spotted him, and smirked. Sirius pointed his wand at Pettigrew, but Pettigrew just smirked more wickedly.

"James and Lily, Sirius, how could you!?" Sirius was confused for a moment, before he saw, as if in slow motion, Peter pull out a knife, cut off his own finger, and then mutter a spell. The whole street exploded, and Sirius was blown off his feet. He looked around wildly, before catching sight of Wormtail the rat skittering off into the sewers.

And then, he laughed. Maniacally, insanely. He laughed because he'd lost everything, just like his parents always said he would. He laughed because little Pettigrew had gotten the best of him, of all of them. He was still laughing as the Aurors arrived, looked around at the scene, and handcuffed him. He laughed.

"I'LL GET YOU ONE DAY!" He screamed, still laughing maniacally as the Aurors led him away. "MARK MY WORDS, I'LL GET YOU!"

It was over, all over, he'd lost everything in a single swift blow. He had nothing left to lose. So he laughed, and laughed, laughed all the way to Azkaban. Maybe, he thought wryly as he was forcibly pushed into a high security cell, maybe it was his fault, for putting James and Lily right into Voldemort's hands by making Peter Secret Keeper. As innocent as he was, he was guilty. So he laughed.

**A/N: Okay. Not one of my happier fics. Poor Siri. And I know he still has Remus- but Remus thinks him guilty, right? Poor Padfoot's finally cracked... hope you enjoyed. Read and review!**


End file.
